2013 NCAA Tournament Preview: No. 12 California vs. No. 4 Syracuse

By Trevor Lowry

Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports

Any doubts that people had about the No. 4 Syracuse Orange were completely crushed. Syracuse beat the No. 13 Montana Grizzlies by 47 points. Although there were four of them, Montana’s highest scorer in the game only had five points.

Syracuse will take on the No. 12 California Bears, who barely got by the No. 5 UNLV Rebels. Just like every team that played in the Pac-12 today, California played with a purpose and something to prove. Many people did not like the seeds that the Pac-12 got in the NCAA Tournament, but all three of the teams from the conference that played today will be advancing to the third round.

What to Watch For

Allen Crabee is a big time scorer and he provided the Bears with 19 points against UNLV. For California to have a chance in this one, Crabee will have to come up big once again. Three other Bears also scored in double digits, including Justin Cobbs, who is the second leading scorer on this team, behind Crabee.

Michael Carter-Williams will be the key to Syracuse’s success. He may have only had two points in the second round, but his nine assists and eight rebound were pretty big. Look out for Brandon Triche, who scored 20 points against Montana.

Prediction

The Orange enter the game with a much better team and will provide much tougher competition than what UNLV brought. Keep in mind, the Rebels almost beat California. The Bears may have escaped the Rebels, but they will not have the same luck against Syracuse.